North Jersey Notes: BoundAlive, Killcode and More!

Great things are happening for my bros in BoundAlive. Besides revamping the lineup since the passing of guitarist Danny Sainovski almost six months ago by adding guitarist Kris Norris from the band Stonecult and on bass, my bud Jimmy Whip from the band NY Fury, the band was also signed to Def Jam Records with a full-length CD to drop this fall. Last I checked, Def Jam was still a major label, so this is a big deal for our local metalheads! Drummer Robert Ciesela told me that the CD, Alive Again, which will be dedicated to Danny, will be a nine-song disc and they’ve already recorded half. He also leaked out that the first single and video off the record will be called “Fading Lie” and the band hopes to drop that in June or July. So it sounds like good things are happening in the BoundAlive camp. Join me in congratulating the boys! For more info on BoundAlive, log onto facebook.com/boundalive.

Speaking of a lot of things going on, the one band that doesn’t seem to stop is my bros from Killcode. That’s why you see them in this column frequently. These guys don’t slow down. They recently went “live” with their brand new website, killcode.net, which Panzie* bassist Dave Sussman designed. They also released a teaser for their upcoming video “The Wrong Side,” which is set be released online in the coming weeks. They’ve also recently released their first brand new song, “Slave,” from their writing sessions with their producer and Life Of Agony guitarist Joey Z. I know this might sound a bit biased, but the song kicks ass. It’s heavy, it kicks you in the balls, DC Gonzalez plays on it (Yes, I have love for you too, Chas), and it’s an all-around great rock track. You have to love hearing great rock music coming out of the Big Apple. For more on Killcode, log onto killcode.net.

And finally, I officially hate the month of May and I’m glad it’s over. For the third week in a row, I have to end this column with a memorial mention. This time it hit a little closer to home. One of my great friends from the music scene, Andrew Gelardi, passed away a couple of weeks ago because he was diagnosed with a lung disease called pulmonary hypertension; he waited two months for a lung donor that never came and his body just couldn’t wait anymore. Many of you might have not known Andrew as he liked to keep a low profile, but after I write this, you will know how much of an influence this amazing dude was on my life and my writing here in the Aquarian. I met Andrew almost 10 years ago when he asked me to write about his client Marc Rizzo from Soulfly, who was about to release his first solo CD. Marc was a local boy and I was happy to connect with him and I still call him and his brother, Luke, friends today. After introducing me to the Rizzo brothers, Andrew asked me to check out another band he was managing called Quick Kill Formula, who reminded me of a New Jersey version of Pantera with guitar player Dennis Kimak (now in Black Water Rising) playing like Dimebag Darrell. Dennis would later become my guitar player in my band Hostel Inc. featuring Ray West from Spread Eagle and Andrew managed us too. My relationship with Andrew would become stronger because of my connections with the people he would introduce me to and we became really good friends. Andrew was always a fan of my columns and interviews and I believe it was him who would submit my material to sites like blabbermouth.net to get me more exposure, though he never really admitted to doing so. I remember Andrew telling us that we had to check out this metal comedian who was performing in Point Pleasant. So, we got the crew together to see this comedian that Andrew spoke so highly of. That comedian was VH1 Classic’s That Metal Show co-host, Don Jamieson, whom I also call a friend today. If you see a pattern here, it’s that Andrew introduced me to some of the coolest people in music and he was a huge supporter of everything that I did. I will miss him dearly and to me, this music scene will never be the same without him. R.I.P. Andrew Gelardi. I’ll see you on the other side my friend.

That’s all for now! If your band is from North Jersey, and you want some exposure, send your press kits to Arts Weekly, c/o Tim Louie P.O. Box 1140, Little Falls, NJ 07424, or you can email me at tim@theaquarian.com, where you can also let me know where you’re performing next!

Just remember….We’re all in the same boat, so every little bit of exposure counts!